We've been wondering whether or not the gargantuan Samsung Galaxy Note would ever make its way stateside, and I believe we just got our answer. This tablet-phone hybrid device (or as I like to call it, a phablet) just passed through the FCC, and it's sporting AT&T 2G/3G bands.

If you need a refresher on what makes the Note so unique (aside from its massive 5.3-inch display), watch this:

And a quick look at the specs of the international version:

5.3-inch 1280x800 Super AMOLED HD display

1.4GHz dual-core Exynos processor

1GB RAM

32GB built-in storage, microSD card slot

8MP rear shooter, 2MP front camera

Android 2.3.5 with TouchWiz

Keep in mind that these specs could change for the US release, but that's probably not likely.

Cameron is a self-made geek, Android enthusiast, horror movie fanatic, musician, and cyclist. When he's not pounding keys here at AP, you can find him spending time with his wife and kids, plucking away on the 6-string, spinning on the streets, or watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on repeat.

Comments

TouchWiz alone makes this device not worth getting. Also the specs are already borderline mid-range and no longer high-end like it was announced a year ago.

gary

What's your point. Dual core 1.4 and 1 gb of ram. I don't think it will be piloting a space shuttle.

http://www.greggdeselms.com Gregg DesElms

What piloted (or, actually, technically, supported the piloting of) the Space Shuttle was, in fact, not even THAT powerful... especially in the beginning. Even in later years, the onboard computer systems were never all they could be, considering the then-current state of computerization in the world.

The computer in the Apollo spacecraft which took our astronauts to the moon (yes, Jake Harper, we HAVE been to the moon) wasn't even as powerful as what would later become the very first IBM PC. Today's typical Android smartphone is to the paltry computer(s) in the Apollo spacecraft as today's biggest and fastest supercomputers would be to perhaps the second generation of IBM PCs.

A little perspective.

Your overarching point, though, in response to William Diaz's complaint, is well taken.

Seriously!? Already borderline mid-range, come off it man, that statement would only hold water if you came from 6-8 months in the future. The note has top of the line specs.

http://codytoombs.wordpress.com Cody

Bigger issue, how much will AT&T charge for it...they put an astronomical price on the tablets they've had so far, and that's on contract. I'm just guessing, but I can't see this going for less than $400 on contract, and $450 seems more likely.

Hotmann

Right, they wanted $300 for the Dell Streak until it was about a year old...after they hadn't sold any for about a year they then dropped the price like mad.

So I fully expect this thing to be at least $300 with a contract....likely more.

Daniel

That's almost impossible. My guess is at least 499 for a two year contract.

Namuna

Considering what went through the FCC is a NON-4G LTE version (no 700MHz, no LTE), I'd hope AT&T would subsidize it closer to the $300 range.

...But if they DID change it up and offered LTE version, it would then have the Snapdragon 1.5GHZ (8255T) with the inferior Adreno 205 instead (as in the GT-N7003). And if that happened, I'll just straight up pass. Putting a lesser GPU into a 5.3", 1280x800 rez phone is a BIG step down in my book.

TonyTIger

Well they have both versions available since the release to Korea. Why would they have to go to the Snapdragon with LTE?

azumihk

lol,
william diaz said specs are midrange hahaha
tell me now 1 phone that is faster then the galaxy note. remember this is exynos and not anyother crap proc. the 1.4 is the fastest now availbe so i dont know why he said is midrange. just give me a faster phone. Second i have this Note and all i can say isL Superb. touchwiz is not from 2010 but much more improvement. Just wait till its out in the usa and go check it out in the shops.

See ya

zorg

Background: I have iPhone 4 and Nexus One. iPhone 4 has the far better apps and interface and bluetooth device connectivity. GPS is a toss-up---when I use them side-by-side the Android version of Google Maps is obviously superior but Navigon on iPhone beats it for long trips most of the time, while Google Maps on the Nexus One is better on short trips. Mail is better on iPhone than the mail app for Android that syncs with my work mail.

Opinion: Galaxy Note has a screen and Wacom pen that I just don't expect to get on a future iPhone. I may switch because of those two items. The faster processor does not hurt but the biggest thing is the amount of time I use my iPhone 4 as an ebook and wish for a bigger screen and the frequency with which I draw diagrams on it instead of a scratchpad and wish for a bigger screen.

ins0mn1a

argh, I so want this thing. having a well-implemented stylus just opens so many possibilities, it's what i've been waiting for for a long time... why couldn't they make it 3G pentaband like galaxy nexus? the very thought of going to AT&T makes me cringe.

Carlos

I have this samsung note, i got it yesterday but when i put my sim card everything was ok but when i tried to open the explorer the internet over my att 3g didnt work... Does someone knows how to make the att internet work?

ins0mn1a

@ carlos
so you got the unlocked international version? i am not even going to ask how much that costs ;).

if your phone doesn't figure out how to access the net on its own, you can try the following: go to settings -> mobile networks -> access point names. there you should see "AT&T". if it's not there, hit the menu button and create new APN called AT&T. when it's created (or if it was already there) tap on it and you will see a list of parameters that you need to enter manually. here you have the parameter values:http://stephesblog.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/03/my-new-android-phone-and-att-wireless.html

this usually solves the problem when done correctly (worked for me every time, for at least half a dozen different operators in as many countries). of course, you need to have a data plan. good luck.

R.U.Kidding?

2G/3G??? Are you kidding??? I thought the Galaxy Note was supposed to be a long-anticipated cutting-edge smartphone. Countless mediocre phones are now 4G capable. What the fudge!!! Why not just release a phone that can make a call to the next galaxy but only by "telegraph."

R.U.Kidding?

& that 5.3"-big-screen is just there to serve as a constant annoying reminder that you are populating that screen with data-rich graphics/video at a speed reminiscent of dial-up.

R.U.Kidding?

& this was purportedly perfect for women, as Samsung has marketed the device as somehow better serving the demands of the female consumers. Is that insinuating that female smartphone users are somehow less-smart (or downright stupid)?...that they are so stupid that they would somehow be wowed by a gadget with superior hardware but only transfers data at trickling-speed?

R.U.Kidding?

U've got to be F-ing kidding! 2G/3G, really?

Sherry

Aren't many cities with AT&T "4g" which is really 3.5G. Supposedly this gets hspa+, which is all my city gets.

On my wireless at home, it will be lightening fast. Out of the house, it won't be unless there is a wireless near.

R.U.Kidding?

Sherry, respectfully, enjoying fast data-service via your home wi-fi defeats the purpose of having a 'smart'phone & paying a premium for on-the-go data service. If you would use the internet connectivity of your smartphone most effectively at home & less effectively when out-&-about, then the telecom company is robbing you by having you pay a premium for a data service you'd rather use at home & avoid when away. Robbery!!!

http://www.greggdeselms.com Gregg DesElms

It's interesting (and coincidental, in at least MY life) that this product is coming out. I've been thinking, a lot, lately, about how unwieldy can be a tablet, and how too-small are most smartphones; and how a five-or-so-inch smartphone with a bit faster process and slightly more RAM than comes with the typical smartphone could be the perfect hybrid. I've not been keeping-up with what's on the horizon, so pardon me for not knowing that the Galaxy Note was coming. For ME, at least, it's almost as if someone at Samsung was listening-in to my thoughts.

It really is the right way to go. I was at a funeral at a large church a couple Saturday's ago... a church which is clearly embracing technology. It issued a tablet PC to one of the family members so that as she stood with the rest of the family and the casket just inside the front doors, but out of the sanctuary, she could communicate with and update someone inside as to what was going on. It seemed odd to me, but then when I later asked her exactly what she was communicating, and to whom, it kinda' made sense... one of those "you had to be there" things. But I digress...

...my point is that what she was doing was way overkill for a full-sized tablet, yet would have been harder on a typical smartphone screen. The 5-inch hybrid size would have been purfect...

...and, of course, it's almost exactly the largest sized thing you'd ever want to press against your ear and talk on as a telephone. To me, it's absolutely perfect... the next device (or at least the next sized device, since my Galaxy S2 is still new) that I'm likely to get. I, personally, hope to see every manufacturer offer a 5-point-something-inch screen smartphone with enough power in it to also be one's, in effect, tablet. It's absolutely perfect, in my opinion.